Frank Ocean’s Weekend 1 set at Coachella on Sunday (April 16) angered many fans for being late, cut short, and generally bizarre. However, new rumors and alleged reports indicate that something else might have prompted last-minute changes to the set. Moreover, TMZ allegedly spoke to sources close to the situation, who revealed the star had a bike accident that resulted in a serious ankle injury. Furthermore, this occurred just days before his scheduled performance while he rode around the Empire Polo Club grounds while he was there to rehearse. Not only that, but it was reportedly so serious that doctors advised a change to the staging.
To elaborate, one of these big changes involved scrapping the initial plan for Frank Ocean’s set to feature an ice rink. Apparently, a casting director reached out to many L.A.-based hockey teams in March for an unknown paid performance. Then, participants saw the former Odd Future member at the audition, which allegedly cast over 100 players. Also, they reportedly rehearsed on an elevated rink at Paramount Studios and then went to Coachella grounds for a dress rehearsal a week before the show. Of course, it’s unclear how all this new info affected the decision to not livestream the performance as usual, which also happened with Björk’s set right before Ocean’s.
Frank Ocean’s Alleged Ankle Injury Might Have Caused Issues With Coachella Set
UPDATE: Frank Ocean reportedly injured his ankle in a bike accident days before Coachella, which forced a change to his stage production
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— RapTV (@Rap) April 17, 2023
However, these new reports indicate that the players got to the festival on Sunday and received news that they scrapped the ice rink idea. Again, it’s unclear whether it was directly because of the supposed ankle injury, as these are still speculations. Instead of skating on ice, Frank Ocean’s team gave them Prada and had them join the singer on stage for his performance, mostly just walking around. With these rumors in mind, many wonder what might occur next weekend, or if the performance will even happen. In addition to all this, the “Pyramids” artist also teased a new album during his slot, which is definitely the carrot to the stick for this controversial performance.
Meanwhile, no party confirmed or denied any of these rumors as of writing this article. It’s also unclear how an ankle injury could be the reason for all these factors. As such, many fans likely took this with a grain of salt, and largely expressed little surprise at Frank Ocean’s elusive teasing. Still, that didn’t make them any less angry. While this is a very complicated and unclear situation, the silence doesn’t make it any easier to withdraw blame from the artist themselves. Even thought these might be factors far beyond his control, his frenzied fanbase still demands answers from his team or the festival. On that note, stay posted on HNHH with the latest news and updates surrounding Frank Ocean and his long-awaited Coachella performance.